Classic Meringue Cookies are beautiful bite-sized confections that are easy to make from whipped egg whites and sugar. These light as air, sweet cookies have a crisp outer shell, soft and somewhat chewy interior, and taste like a crunchy marshmallow that melts in your mouth.
Meringue Cookies
These Meringue Cookies are super easy to make because the mixer does most of the work! The meringue mixture can be prepared in 15 minutes using 4 ingredients that are whipped until white and glossy stiff peaks are formed, then it’s ready to be piped and baked into the prettiest sweet treats you’ve ever tasted.
If the thought of making homemade Meringue Cookies seems scary because the egg whites must be beaten into a fluffy foam, just follow my tips, tricks, and pictures and I’ll help you produce the perfect crispy cookie. Plus, these cookies are naturally low calorie, fat free, and gluten-free, so you can go ahead and indulge without the guilt!
For more easy meringue recipes, check out my Chocolate Dipped Meringue Cookies {Meringue Kisses} and Lemon Meringue Cookies.
Why we love this Meringue Cookies Recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Only uses 4 ingredients.
- Not all meringue cookies are created equal– store-bought meringues often have a texture like styrofoam and are flavorless.
- Versatile and customizable with different flavor and color options.
- Beautiful and billowy, light and airy, delicate and dainty, crisp and crunchy.
- Delicious sweet dessert or snack.
- Kosher for Passover and perfect for any party, holiday, or celebration.
Meringue Cookie Recipe Ingredients
- Egg whites
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Cream of tartar
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
Substitutions and Additions for Meringue Cookies
- Add Other Extracts: You can add other extracts with the vanilla or take the vanilla out and use whatever extract you like. Other extract flavors I recommend are lemon, orange, mint, strawberry, banana, coconut, almond, or cherry.
- Customize The Colors: The cookie batter can be dyed any color you like. Simply wait until you just about reach stiff peaks then add the food coloring to create the color you desire. I recommend using gel food coloring.
- Meringue Mix-Ins: Feel free to add in finely chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips to the meringue batter. You won’t be able to pipe them with a star tip, but you can dollop mounds onto the baking sheets. You can also add unsweetened cocoa powder to the batter to make chocolate flavored cookies.
- Decorate Or Dip: You can add festive sprinkles to the formed cookies before baking, or you can drizzle or dip these in any flavor of melted chocolate after baking and cooling them. Just make sure to use a high quality chocolate so it melts smooth.
How to make Meringue Cookies
Meringue Cookies are so easy to make simply by whipping together your ingredients until stiff peaks are formed and piping the mixture into pretty sweet treats. These melt-in-your-mouth confections are deliciously delicate with a crispy crunch.
- Whip: Whisk the egg whites on medium-low speed and slowly pour in the sugar. Once all the sugar is added, add the vanilla extract and cream of tartar. Whip at medium-high speed until you reach stiff peaks.
Pro Tip: The mixture will be glossy and bright white. - Pipe: Place the meringue into a piping bag and pipe shapes onto the foil.
Pro Tip: Cookies should be similar in size, about 1 & ½ inches wide and up to 1 & ½ inches tall. You can pipe them about ½ inch apart as the cookies will not spread while baking - Bake: Bake at 170° Fahrenheit for 2 hours. Turn the oven off and let them cool in the oven for at least 2 hours, but I recommend overnight if you can.
Tips for making the best Meringue Cookies every time
- I like to let these sit in the oven overnight to allow enough drying time for them to be completely dry.
- It is important that the egg whites are room temperature, I use 70°F egg whites for meringue cookies. This makes them whip up smoothly and faster.
- Make sure that your mixing bowl and beater are meticulously clean and dry. Any trace of moisture will turn your meringues into an epic fail.
- Use superfine granulated sugar. If you don’t have any in the pantry, simply add regular granulated sugar to your food processor and pulse for a few seconds. (if you don’t do this… not the end of the world….it is just better if you do.)
- Add the sugar slowly to give it time to incorporate.
- Separate your eggs cold, straight out of the fridge and be sure to crack the shell on the flat counter and not the edge of the bowl. The cold eggs separate better and cracking the shells on the counter keeps out pieces of shell and yolk. Then leave them to warm to room temperature, before you start in.
- Beat until the peaks are stiff. When they stand up straight at the end of your beater, it’s ready.
- I used a Wilton 1M tip and a Wilton 4B tip for this recipe.
- Resist the urge to open the oven door too soon. After baking, these cookies need to cool in the oven for another 1-2 hours (with the heat off.)
Storage Tips For This Meringue Cookies Recipe
- To Store: These cookies need to be stored in a cool dry place. If it is humid outside or in your house they may be a little tacky on the outside. You can store them for up to two weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.
- To Freeze: You can freeze these cookies individually on a sheet tray, then layer them between pieces of wax paper in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
How to make Meringue Cookies FAQs
The number of cookies you can get out of this recipe really depends on the size they are piped. I got 32 cookies from the batch when I piped most shapes at 1 & ½ inches wide and 1 & ½ inches tall.
Meringue cookies are meant to be very light and have a bit of a crunch. You don’t want to let them get to the “browning” stage in baking.
You will know that they are done cooking if they easily come off of your baking sheet. You may need to slide a spatula under them, but it shouldn’t take much effort.
Mine can generally be lifted off the foil-lined baking sheet with no problem at all!
If you’ve found that your meringues have gotten soft after you finished baking them, you can place them back in the oven at 225F for another 10-20 minutes (watch them, if they begin to turn golden brown around the edges turn off the heat immediately) and then let them cool in the oven for another hour, this has always worked for me with meringues that start to get too chewy.
Meringue and meringue cookies are airy and sweet tasting. They are made up mostly of egg whites and sugar so they have a really light texture. They are crispy on the outside, but softer and chewier on the inside. They taste similar to a marshmallow.
I personally like a little bit of chewiness in my meringue cookies, but if they are too chewy, it could be that they were underbaked. If this is the case, just put them back in the oven for about 10 minutes at 225 degrees and let them cool in the oven for another hour. If they start to get brown, turn off the oven immediately.
Meringue is a deliciously light and fluffy dessert made from egg whites, sugar, and sometimes cream of tartar or lemon juice.
Other Easy Cookie Recipes
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
- Jello Divinity Cookies
- Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
- Creamsicle Cookies
- No-Bake Avalanche Cookies
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Meringues
Meringue Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites room temp
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°F. Line baking sheets with foil, set aside.
- Place the egg whites into the body of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Start whisking the egg whites on medium-low speed and slowly pour in the sugar.
- Once all the sugar is added, add the vanilla extract and cream of tartar.
- Whip at medium-high speed until you reach stiff peaks. The mixture will be glossy and bright white. This will take a few minutes.
- Place the meringue into a piping bag and pipe shapes onto the foil that are similar in size, about 1 & ½ inches wide and up to 1 & ½ inches tall. You can pipe them about ½ inch apart as the cookies will not spread while baking.
- Bake for 2 hours. Turn the oven off and let them cool for at least 2 hours but I recommend overnight if you can.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: These cookies need to be stored in a cool dry place. If it is humid outside or in your house they may be a little tacky on the outside. You can store them for up to two weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.
- To Freeze: You can freeze these cookies individually on a sheet tray, then layer them between pieces of wax paper in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- I like to let these sit in the oven overnight to allow enough drying time for them to be completely dry.
- It is important that the egg whites are room temperature, I use 70°F egg whites for meringue cookies. This makes them whip up smoothly and faster.
- Make sure that your mixing bowl and beater are meticulously clean and dry. Any trace of moisture will turn your meringues into an epic fail.
- Use superfine granulated sugar. If you don’t have any in the pantry, simply add regular granulated sugar to your food processor and pulse for a few seconds. (if you don’t do this… not the end of the world….it is just better if you do.)
- Add the sugar slowly to give it time to incorporate.
- Separate your eggs cold, straight out of the fridge and be sure to crack the shell on the flat counter and not the edge of the bowl. The cold eggs separate better and cracking the shells on the counter keeps out pieces of shell and yolk. Then leave them to warm to room temperature, before you start in.
- Beat until the peaks are stiff. When they stand up straight at the end of your beater, it’s ready.
- Resist the urge to open the oven door too soon. After baking, these cookies need to cool in the oven for another 1-2 hours (with the heat off.)
Used egg whites from the carton cold also regular sugar came out fine!!
Attempted to make these twice. Followed all the directions and both times they came out sticky. Even left them overnight in the oven the second time. Not sure what I’m doing wrong?
These were easy and fun to make.
Can I use Splenda or swerve instead of sugar?
Good evening Jenn,
I have a question, can I add food coloring to Meringue Cookies to make them more colorful for Easter?????
You for sure can!!
This was my first time making meringue cookies and I was a little scared. But this recipe was great and very easy. I added a little lemon flavor to my meringue and then did a lime white chocolate drizzle. Loved them and so did my picky eating boys!!
I consider myself quite a tough critic. However, this recipe is fenominal. I wish there was a way to give 4 1/2 stars, because the flavor was perfectly executed, and the center was super soft. The reason I am not giving 5 stars, is because the food coloring makes it bubble over. Otherwise, it is a well done recipe. I recommend doing small cookies, about 1 inch in diameter, and cooking them for 35 minutes if you like a soft center.
Phenomenal